Dryland Tip: Standing Windmill

Purpose: The standing windmill is a strengthening exercise for the foot and hip. If you read Science of Performance: Tips for Breaststroker's Knee Part I and Science of Performance: Tips for Breaststroker's Knee Part II, you understand the role of the foot and hip during knee pain, specifically hip external rotation and foot supination. This exercise is an advanced exercise, focusing on improving these two movements in the vertical, and then the horizontal plane, like swimming.
Directions: Stand on one food without shoes or socks, bring your arms to the side, and then externally rotate from the hip, turning your body towards your opposite leg. Make sure your foot is stable (holding supination), not allowing the arch to collapse.
To progress, flex your body at the hip, orienting yourself horizontal to the floor, then perform the same rotation at the hip. This requires more hip stability, but more like swimming with the body horizontal to the ground.
Perform up to 10 repetitions during warm-up to activate the hip and foot for knee pain prevention.